Farewell to the King

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

No better words to summarize this review now then those written above. Because who would have thought that months after the release of one of the ultimate epics of his career, Basil Poledouris would pass on this world and move towards more sacred ground! Indeed, Farewell to the King or the Dances with Wolves of Poledouris is now again available in better quality, with material expanding the normal release years earlier of Varèse, and above all is available once again. And still you have only just one word you can use when hearing this music, BRILLIANT! The impact is undeniable when you hear for the first time the main theme, the sudden realization after the last track that you witnessed pure Poledouris brilliance is still evident, its all present again in just more minutes. It starts after a moody opening with 'Farewell to the King (South China Sea)' and alone the main theme oozes epic standards, because it feels just so Poledouris like yet so Dances with Wolves too, so I guess John Barry knew exactly what he had to acquire in his score years later. And then some new tracks come forward, including the wonderful 'Flare of Youth', marking both the main theme and the wonderful rising love theme, followed by a brief not to be returning march. The tracks might seem new to you but several are just renamed, like 'Learoyd Slays Lion the Magnificent' with its first time suspense building and main theme on native flutes or the new brief 'Honeymoon'. The comical yet catchy 'Zed Force (The Training March)' is still cool to hear, even though it somewhat turns away from what we are hearing of style in the rest of this score. With 'Learoyd Saves the Child' we're back on that style and here he moves from rising emotional suspense to the lush and utterly beautiful love theme for the first time in full effect, who's the John Barry now? The more somber and darker 'Learoyd saves Nigel' uses the main theme only partly and doesn't make it a happy moment for once but suddenly it moves to a rising string movement ala Horner, bringing goddamn utter spine tingling feelings forward.

With 'Nigel's Trip' we're back on the Barry wagon with the love theme now suddenly with that warm sound that can shut you up so easily. Even that second part is so utterly lovely with its relaxing flute moment. And just about then Basil isn't over yet with surprising you, with the fetching 'Battle Montage' using an alternate version of the main theme he surprises you just a bit more. 'Village Attack' brings then again the more dramatic action music that Poledouris could create so easily, ending here with the love theme. The soft flute in 'This day Forth' is lovely while the flute makes 'War is Over' so much more romantic in the begin instead, and with it the romantic strings bring back the love theme. A change of scenery is 'Imperialist Waltz', so cleverly real while 'Learoyd Sacrifice' and 'Farewell to My King' bring back the finest versions of the themes, and especially the last should be played to honor Basil because its a farewell to our king, a man who embraced again this score's heart so easily with the most powerful music the genre could ask for. The alternate tracks are always cute, however not very necessary, except perhaps for 'Radio Source Cue' which is funny. People should realize now, Basil Poledouris was indeed one of Hollywood's finest composers who ever lived, the big problem was that respect didn't follow his path. But with achievements as Farewell to the King, Les Misérables, Amerika and Conan the Barbarian its so obvious he has written some of the most enjoyable or beautiful soundtracks ever composed, this soundtrack alone is a milestone, covering 20 minutes more of music and is above all available again to discover. And its amazing that we can rediscover those classics as Amerika and Farewell to the King, when movie music needs pure brilliance once again. This year the fireworks didn't come from a newly written LOTR or ending Star Wars score, this year we heard Poledouris sweep us away in epic sense. Something he can't do sadly anymore. Basically, Farewell to the King is Dances with Wolves, only by Poledouris this time, its a score you just need to have, because its the testament of Basil Poledouris' composing skills.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Prologue And The Trek (1.40)

2. Farewell To The King (South China Sea) (1.38) Excellent Track

3. Flare Of Youth * (1.55)

4. Trek * (1.27)

5. Mitaura * (0.55)

6. The Woman Saved Me (1.26)

7. Learoyd Slays Lion The Magnificent (1.23)

8. Honeymoon * (0.40)

9. Zed Force (The Training March) (2.46)

10. Learoyd Saves The Child (3.24) Excellent Track

11. Learoyd Saves Nigel (2.45) Excellent Track

12. Nigel's Trip (4.16) Excellent Track

13. Battle Montage (2.39) Excellent Track

14. Realization (1.38)

15. The Wait * (1.47)

16. Night Of The Living (1.17)

17. Day Of The Dead (1.07)

18. Village Attack (2.59) Excellent Track

19. This Day Forth (2.43)

20. War Is Over (3.22) Excellent Track

21. Imperialist Waltz (1.49)

22. Learoyd Surrenders (4.25) Excellent Track

23. Farewell To My King (2.25) Excellent Track

24. Farewell To The King (South China Sea) Flute Version * (1.39)

25. Battle Montage (Alternate Mix) * (2.40)

26. Sorrow * (0.51)

27. Grief * (0.55)

28. The Jungle * (1.44)

29. Japanese Radio Source Cue * (2.20)

30. Rising Of The Moon * (1.16)

31. Farewell to the King (South China Sea) Alternate Mix * (1.37)

* Never before released

Total Length: 62.38

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons

=== Link to Composer Site: Basil Poledouris ===